Academic Burnout: What Is It and How Can We Solve It?

By Han Eun-ji, The International School @ ParkCity Kuala Lumpur

It’s midnight. You’re staring at your notes, scanning them one by one with heavy eyes, and you feel tired, exhausted, and fatigued. This is what people call academic burnout. Academic burnout is a state of mental exhaustion and fatigue caused by constant stress from schoolwork. Burnouts are starting to get more common amongst students, which results in them drinking energy drinks with high levels of caffeine to keep themselves awake. So how can we as students still study efficiently but avoid burnouts? There are several ways to prevent these academic burnouts.

One possible solution is time management. By planning a schedule to complete certain activities, students could save a great deal of time, which could help them get more sleep and energy. This could also help them obtain more self-care, where they could prioritize sleep, consume more healthy food, and get more exercise. This can not only improve their physical health but also their mental health, which could impact their performance academically.

A second solution that could prevent academic burnouts is setting boundaries with studying and rest. Too much studying and too much rest could both have disadvantages, so an equal balance between studying and having rest is needed. Saying no sometimes when somebody asks to go out is an example of setting boundaries. Another common example is separating workspace and rest space. For example, doing homework in bed may reduce productivity, which could result in you wasting your time and energy.

Last but not least, you could talk to someone you trust, or a group going through similar things. These groups of people could understand your feelings and could take some pressure off your back. Not only can they help you overcome burnouts, but they could also help you learn how to manage academic burnouts in the future, as well. Talking to someone could take a great weight off your chest, which could improve your mental wellbeing and even improve your grades.

In conclusion, academic burnouts are becoming more common amongst students, drowning in schoolwork and assessments. There are several ways to prevent this such as time management, setting boundaries with studying and rest and talking about stress and overload to someone you trust. I hope this essay helped you learn how to stay away from academic burnouts and still get great learning experience.